![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwGB258jlv9s8i6uULGk8ZV5ga9MWSgXzD-PKwcrFutCL8_PF7tVTCxZ3ekKWh8Y3ZaWxmUj9BnGSCTc14feSHOCUmmkE9trleUwM2JHOP7TdAcTMmeBJp2vamK09M3sxNNQgB/s400/brainy_santa_paint.jpg)
I played with the new version of ArtRage tonight. If you follow me on Twitter (@bobjinx) you may have caught me raving about it. They added a bunch of new features, including an inking pen, watercolor brush, and selection & transform tools. I only exported to Photoshop to resize and save it as a proper jpeg—the new ArtRage even has color adjustment options. The inking pen is a bit too smooth for my taste, though very impressive. So I inked the little brain dude in Flash.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTu_Kj_EwfSk3vE4wW095uA3XAUMFGb0ReDZIAZZbGfljUNe2M8-ENNLex70lSFJ98kY4kHl2EqcUtdJGUSPRxU6UKaXB-UCO1iDr-k_RmfKWXIjDmBDdjp2ML8EA9SL8-VfzB/s400/brainy_santa_ink.gif)
I did prefer the inking pen over the paint brush for detail work—you'll see I added the drool marks and puddle after I inked in Flash. If you're curious about how I use Flash with ArtRage, I can do a tutorial at some point. Sherm Cohen has already covered the Illustrator/ArtRage combo like a pro. But essentially, all I do is export a hi-res transparent PNG from Flash and drop it on a layer in ArtRage to paint under.
Have a great holiday everyone!
...and Merry Christmas!
See you in 2010, if not sooner...